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MIERCUREA CIUC |
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The industrial city of MIERCUREA CIUC (Csíkszereda/Szeklerburg) is
capital of Harghita county, in the eastern Székely Land. Its city
centre, with the windswept Piata Libertatii at its heart, has been
extensively rebuilt in concrete and aside from the Mikó citadel , south
of the centre at Str. Gh. Doja 2, and the adjacent 1890s Law Courts and
City Hall, there is little of architectural interest here. The citadel
was built in 1611-21, burnt down by the Turks in 1661, and rebuilt in
1716 to the plans of the Austrian general Stefan Steinville. It now
contains an excellent county museum (Tue-Sun 9am-5pm), with exhibits on
Székely churches; on its south side is a deracinated row of beamgates
overlooking the remains of the moat. Two kilometres further south in the
suburb of Jigodin (Zsögödfürdo) the Nagy Imre Gallery (daily except Tues
9am-5pm) displays a rotating selection of the forceful paintings of
Székely artist Nagy Imre (1893-1976, not to be confused with the
Hungarian leader of 1956); his former home, at the rear of the gallery,
contains local textiles and Corund ceramics, as well as photos of the
artist.
The city's only other attraction is the great Székely pilgrimage to
Sumuleu , well worth the trip if you are looking for a flavour of the
Székely culture. It takes place on Whit Sunday at Sumuleu (Csiksomlyó),
a Franciscan monastery 2km northeast of the city (buses #11, #21, #40,
#41, #42 from the station forecourt towards Pauleni and Soimeni).
Founded in 1442 but largely rebuilt in the early nineteenth century, the
complex was established by Iancu de Hunedoara in thanks for the Székely
victory at Marasszentimre, commemorated ever since by the black-clad
pilgrims who still fill the yard and church interior, singing hymns and
queuing up to touch the wooden Madonna in the sanctuary, before
processing on to the three small chapels on the nearby hill top. From
here there's a good view of the plain, dotted with Székely villages ,
either whitewashed or with old blue farmsteads.
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